Monday, January 31

French Dip Brisket

Slow cooker recipes are so wonderful and easy. I use my slow cooker several times a month for either for soups or Roasted Sticky Chicken (you can make your own "rotisserie" chicken right at home--much cheaper!) and I am always on the look out for new recipes. Rachael Ray has even started doing more of these, which I love. So many slow cooker recipes often times call for processed ingredients (like cans cream of XXX soup or envelopes of onion soup, and while that certainly makes a meal come together fast, those aren't the best for you and we all know I try to do whole foods whenever possible) so whenever Rachael Ray does a slow cooker recipe, I make sure to pay attention.

This one she did right before Christmas and I have been wanting to try it out. We have a ton beef of in our freezerand it was a slow cooker recipe, so it provided another way to use up some of our beef. I was excited to say the least. I pared it with some homemade crusty french bread and it was very, very good! Oh, and my cut of beef wasn't actually "brisket" and it still turned out great, so it's definitely worth trying even if the only cut you have in your freezer is roast or something of that nature.

In a large skillet over medium heat drizzle with EVOO. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until just starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Return the skillet to a medium-high heat leaving in the remaining bacon fat. Season both sides of the beef with salt and pepper and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.

While the meat is searing, add the reserved bacon and remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add in the seared meat to the pot and cover. Set the timer/heat level of the slow cooker depending on the time at which you want your meal to be served, or cook until the meat is tender.

Thinly slice the beef. To serve, place a layer of sliced beef, cooked veggies, Swiss cheese on top of a slice of the bread and broil until cheese starts to brown. Top with chopped parsley and serve with a small bowl of juices to dip sandwich.

Ah, I know well that let-down feeling when I see that a crock pot recipe uses cream of mushroom goop. Slow cooker meals lend themselves so well to well-developed flavors and convenience, so who needs the goop. Just look how delicious your dish is! Thanks for linking up with the Hearth and Soul hop.